Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Postgraduate Students’ Psychosocial Employability Attributes

This study determined the influence of individuals’ emotional intelligence on their psychosocial employability attributes. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted. A non-probability sample of 304 employed postgraduate students (predominantly early career black = 70 %; females = 64 % with a mean age of 26 – 40 years) participated in the study. Multiple regressions were used to analyse the data. Emotional intelligence was found to be a significant predictor of the participants’ psychosocial employability attributes. The findings provide valuable information that can be used in career development support and counselling practices in the contemporary work world.Industrial and Organisational Psycholog

Undergraduate ODL students' graduateness in relation to their employability attributes and examination preparation styles

ODL12 Conference paperThe open distance learning teaching context poses unique challenges and opportunities for cultivating students’ graduateness. However, more research is needed on how students’ graduateness relates to their examination preparation styles and employability attributes, and how these influence teaching practice in the open distance learning (ODL) context. These constructs are under-researched in the South African ODL higher education context. The objective of the study was to explore how undergraduate ODL students’ graduateness is influenced by their examination preparation styles and employability attributes, and to determine the implications for teaching practice in the ODL higher education context. Significant relationships were observed between the variables of relevance to the study, pointing to the importance of developing the measured employability attributes and exam preparation styles in cultivating the graduateness of ODL students. New knowledge was gained which can be used to inform ODL teaching and learning design. Recommendations for future research and teaching practice are made

Assessing employability capacities and career adaptability in a sample of human resource professionals.

Orientation: Employers have come to recognise graduates' employability capacities and their ability to adapt to new work demands as important human capital resources for sustaining a competitive business advantage. Research purpose: The study sought (1) to ascertain whether a significant relationship exists between a set of graduate employability capacities and a set of career adaptability capacities and (2) to identify the variables that contributed the most to this relationship. Motivation for the study: Global competitive markets and technological advances are increasingly driving the demand for graduate knowledge and skills in a wide variety of jobs. Contemporary career theory further emphasises career adaptability across the lifespan as a critical skill for career management agency. Despite the apparent importance attached to employees' employability and career adaptability, there seems to be a general lack of research investigating the association between these constructs. Research approach, design and method: A cross-sectional, quantitative research design approach was followed. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlations and canonical correlation analysis were performed to achieve the objective of the study. The participants (N = 196) were employed in professional positions in the human resource field and were predominantly early career black people and women. Main findings: The results indicated positive multivariate relationships between the variables and showed that lifelong learning capacities and problem solving, decision-making and interactive skills contributed the most to explaining the participants' career confidence, career curiosity and career control. Practical/managerial implications: The study suggests that developing professional graduates' employability capacities may strengthen their career adaptability. These capacities were shown to explain graduates' active engagement in career management strategies deemed important for their sustained employability in the contemporary career environment. Contributions: The results of the study offered empirical evidence in support of theoretical views on the self-regulatory capacities underpinning individuals' career adaptability and how these are influenced by their employability capacities.Institute for Corporate Citizenshi

Anti-inflammatory salicylate treatment alters the metabolic adaptations to lactation in dairy cattle

Citation:Farney, J. K., Mamedova, L. K., Coetzee, J. F., KuKanich, B., Sordillo, L. M., Stoakes, S. K., … Bradford, B. J. (2013). Anti-inflammatory salicylate treatment alters the metabolic adaptations to lactation in dairy cattle. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 305(2), R110–R117. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00152.2013Adapting to the lactating state requires metabolic adjustments in multiple tissues, especially in the dairy cow, which must meet glucose demands that can exceed 5 kg/day in the face of negligible gastrointestinal glucose absorption. These challenges are met through the process of homeorhesis, the alteration of metabolic setpoints to adapt to a shift in physiological state. To investigate the role of inflammation-associated pathways in these homeorhetic adaptations, we treated cows with the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug sodium salicylate (SS) for the first 7 days of lactation. Administration of SS decreased liver TNF-α mRNA and marginally decreased plasma TNF-α concentration, but plasma eicosanoids and liver NF-κB activity were unaltered during treatment. Despite the mild impact on these inflammatory markers, SS clearly altered metabolic function. Plasma glucose concentration was decreased by SS, but this was not explained by a shift in hepatic gluconeogenic gene expression or by altered milk lactose secretion. Insulin concentrations decreased in SS-treated cows on day 7 compared with controls, which was consistent with the decline in plasma glucose concentration. The revised quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (RQUICKI) was then used to assess whether altered insulin sensitivity may have influenced glucose utilization rate with SS. The RQUICKI estimate of insulin sensitivity was significantly elevated by SS on day 7, coincident with the decline in plasma glucose concentration. Salicylate prevented postpartum insulin resistance, likely causing excessive glucose utilization in peripheral tissues and hypoglycemia. These results represent the first evidence that inflammation-associated pathways are involved in homeorhetic adaptations to lactation.the transition from late pregnancy to lactation is a time of great physiological stress, especially for the dairy cow. The decline in feed intake that accompanies parturition, coupled with the rapid increase in energy requirements during lactogenesis, requires a dramatic shift in nutrient fluxes to release stored nutrients and direct them to the mammary gland. This programmed shift in metabolic setpoints is an archetypal example of homeorhesis, defined as the “coordinated changes in metabolism of body tissues necessary to support a physiological state” (4).Mechanisms underlying homeorhetic adaptions to lactation have been described to some extent. The somatotropic axis is decoupled during this time, resulting in dramatic elevations of plasma growth hormone concentrations without the expected rise in insulin-like growth factor 1 secretion (11, 51). Likewise, insulin sensitivity declines substantially from late gestation (5, 48). These endocrine shifts are critical for promoting the mobilization of stored nutrients and sparing glucose for use by the mammary gland. This conservation of glucose is particularly important in ruminants. The microbes that inhabit the rumen ferment most dietary carbohydrate to volatile fatty acids, leaving very little glucose to be absorbed in the small intestine. As a result, lactating cows absorb almost no glucose from the gastrointestinal tract and must synthesize as much as 5 kg of glucose in the liver daily (2).The homeorhetic adaptations that allow cows to increase milk production to 40 kg/day within days after parturition can stress the metabolic system. Rapid lipolysis can increase plasma nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations by as much as 10-fold within a few days after parturition (21), and both hypoglycemia and hypocalcemia are common, as nutrients are drawn into the mammary gland. Ketosis and fatty liver (FL) are common metabolic diseases that result during this time; in fact, nearly 90% of all metabolic diseases in dairy cattle occur during the first 4 wk of the 305-day lactation (24).Despite their reliance on mobilized lipid as an energy source, dairy cattle entering lactation with greater adipose mass are at greater risk of developing metabolic diseases (34). It has become clear in the past decade that animals with excessive adiposity exhibit a low-grade inflammation (23), suggesting that perhaps inflammation underlies metabolic disturbances in obese dairy cows. In support of this hypothesis, cows with moderate or severe FL have increased levels of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-α (41). Inflammatory cytokines cause myriad metabolic changes in dairy cattle, including anorexia, lipomobilization, impaired insulin sensitivity, and reduced milk yield (7, 26, 27), all of which are associated with FL and ketosis. Furthermore, daily injection of TNF-α for 7 days increased liver triglyceride content independent of effects on feed intake, and this effect was accompanied by changes in hepatic gene expression consistent with both inflammation and a shift from fatty acid oxidation to triglyceride synthesis (8).These recent findings suggest that exogenous inflammatory agents are sufficient to induce metabolic dysfunction. Whether inflammation is a necessary causative factor in the natural progression of bovine FL and ketosis, however, remains unclear. To address this broad question, we used the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) sodium salicylate (SS). Sodium salicylate is a weak inhibitor of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 (31), and its probable mode of action is that it inhibits phosphorylation of the NF-κB inhibitor IκB-α (53). Phosphorylation of IκB results in its degradation, allowing NF-κB to be released for translocation into the nucleus and subsequent activation of an inflammatory transcription program (3). The specific hypothesis for this study was that SS would slow liver triglyceride accumulation, promote gluconeogenesis, and limit metabolic disease in dairy cows entering lactation. In contrast, our findings suggest that inflammatory signals may contribute to homeorhetic adaptations to lactation, especially regulation of glucose metabolism and modulation of lipolysis and ketogenesis as animals return to positive energy balance

Albiglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Harmony Outcomes): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists differ in chemical structure, duration of action, and in their effects on clinical outcomes. The cardiovascular effects of once-weekly albiglutide in type 2 diabetes are unknown. We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of albiglutide in preventing cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Methods: We did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 610 sites across 28 countries. We randomly assigned patients aged 40 years and older with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (at a 1:1 ratio) to groups that either received a subcutaneous injection of albiglutide (30–50 mg, based on glycaemic response and tolerability) or of a matched volume of placebo once a week, in addition to their standard care. Investigators used an interactive voice or web response system to obtain treatment assignment, and patients and all study investigators were masked to their treatment allocation. We hypothesised that albiglutide would be non-inferior to placebo for the primary outcome of the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, which was assessed in the intention-to-treat population. If non-inferiority was confirmed by an upper limit of the 95% CI for a hazard ratio of less than 1·30, closed testing for superiority was prespecified. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02465515. Findings: Patients were screened between July 1, 2015, and Nov 24, 2016. 10 793 patients were screened and 9463 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to groups: 4731 patients were assigned to receive albiglutide and 4732 patients to receive placebo. On Nov 8, 2017, it was determined that 611 primary endpoints and a median follow-up of at least 1·5 years had accrued, and participants returned for a final visit and discontinuation from study treatment; the last patient visit was on March 12, 2018. These 9463 patients, the intention-to-treat population, were evaluated for a median duration of 1·6 years and were assessed for the primary outcome. The primary composite outcome occurred in 338 (7%) of 4731 patients at an incidence rate of 4·6 events per 100 person-years in the albiglutide group and in 428 (9%) of 4732 patients at an incidence rate of 5·9 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·78, 95% CI 0·68–0·90), which indicated that albiglutide was superior to placebo (p<0·0001 for non-inferiority; p=0·0006 for superiority). The incidence of acute pancreatitis (ten patients in the albiglutide group and seven patients in the placebo group), pancreatic cancer (six patients in the albiglutide group and five patients in the placebo group), medullary thyroid carcinoma (zero patients in both groups), and other serious adverse events did not differ between the two groups. There were three (<1%) deaths in the placebo group that were assessed by investigators, who were masked to study drug assignment, to be treatment-related and two (<1%) deaths in the albiglutide group. Interpretation: In patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, albiglutide was superior to placebo with respect to major adverse cardiovascular events. Evidence-based glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists should therefore be considered as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes. Funding: GlaxoSmithKline

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p<0·0001) and independently associated with COVID-19 status (odds ratio [OR] 2·9 [95% CI 1·5–5·8]; padjusted=0·0023) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Compared with controls, patients were more likely to have MRI evidence of lung abnormalities (p=0·0001; parenchymal abnormalities), brain abnormalities (p<0·0001; more white matter hyperintensities and regional brain volume reduction), and kidney abnormalities (p=0·014; lower medullary T1 and loss of corticomedullary differentiation), whereas cardiac and liver MRI abnormalities were similar between patients and controls. Patients with multiorgan abnormalities were older (difference in mean age 7 years [95% CI 4–10]; mean age of 59·8 years [SD 11·7] with multiorgan abnormalities vs mean age of 52·8 years [11·9] without multiorgan abnormalities; p<0·0001), more likely to have three or more comorbidities (OR 2·47 [1·32–4·82]; padjusted=0·0059), and more likely to have a more severe acute infection (acute CRP >5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570